Night Fury Down
by Fareway
Summary: After a Berserker bombardment, Toothless gets injured and goes down on Dragon Island. With his condition proving to be serious, Hiccup does what he can to save his best friend all the while trying to escape from Dagur's wrath.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk**

**Night Fury Down**

**Chapter 1**

* * *

Berk's sunsets were always a sight see. Despite the cold climate and high altitude, the weather was almost always reasonable.

The sky was blue while the climate stayed nippy; the citizens of Berk were busy going about their morning duties. And like every other day, the dragons helped out in their own special way.

A damaged vessel slowly drifted towards the docks; the small fishing boat having a large gaping hole in the left side and its two passengers lying unconscious on the deck.

Men ran down the ramps of the village, rushing over to the docks as their eyes saw the sorry sight of one of their boats. A few throws of rope and the mast was hooked, the men able to draw the boat in so it could dock.

Stoick came down to the docks with Gobber, having heard the news of the boat from one of the tower guards. The rushed past the men and helped the two fishermen out of the rundown boat.

"Mulch, Bucket, are you alright?" Stoick asked as he and Gobber brought the two men on the dock and laid them down. Mulch opened his eyes and sat up, clutching his head as a throbbing pain erupted from it. Stoick kneeled down beside him.

"Oooh, where are we?" Mulch asked, looking around and seeing his friend Bucket waking up as well.

"You're back on Berk Mulch, we saw your boat; what happened?" Mulch stood up and shook his head, Stoick following. Bucket was getting help from Gobber to get back up on his toes.

"We were attacked again!" Mulch announced, getting a few murmurs from the crowd.

"By who, the Berserkers?" Stoick asked.

"No,"

"The Outcasts?" Gobber asked.

"No," Mulch replied, shaking his head. "We were attacked by the Outcasts and the Berserkers!"

"Both?" Gobber repeated, walking up to Stoick's side.

"They were working together?" Stoick questioned.

"I thought Hiccup said they didn't form that alliance." Gobber presumed.

"No, but with Alvin gone, Dagur would have taken control over both tribes." Stoick concluded.

"Outcasts and Berserkers together, well that would make one heck of a fleet." Gobber commented.

"How many ships did you see Mulch?" Stoick asked the man.

"Too many to count, Stoick."

"What are you thinking, Stoick?" Gobber asked, seeing that look on his friend's face. Stoick was looking back at his house on the hill, knowing very well his son was still eating breakfast with his lifelong friend Toothless.

Despite the fatherly instinct grilling him deep within his gut, Stoick made his decision and headed back home to get his son.

* * *

"I'm telling you, it's a stupid idea." Snotlout said, rolling his eyes at the twins as they were trying to persuade everyone one a specific training exercise. "Test-your-wits-against-a-pile-of-fireworms" didn't catch anyone's attention; it sounded completely stupid to Snotlout.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Tuffnut said.

"Yeah, we can all watch Tuffnut go first." Ruff commented. Hiccup's voice didn't allow anyone to answer her as he and Toothless flew into the academy.

"We can't do exercises today." He informed his friends.

"Why, what's wrong?" Astrid asked. Toothless landed down beside Stormfly and Astrid.

"Bucket and Mulch were just attacked by the Outcasts—"

Tuffnut interrupted him, "Dirty rotten Outcasts! We'll show 'em who's boss!"

"—and the Berserkers." Hiccup finished.

"Dirty rotten—wait a minute, both?" Tuffnut questioned, his excitement now gone. Hiccup answered his question with a nod before addressing to all of them again.

"My dad wants us to go scout the area where they were attacked and see how many ships they have and where they might be planning on going."

"Where exactly were they attacked?" Astrid asked.

"Dragon Island." Hiccup answered calmly.

"And this is _just_ a scouting mission?" Astrid questioned his motives.

"If Dagur and his men are there to attack the dragons living on Dragon Island, we have to intervene." Hiccup replied. "If the dragons lose their home, they'll come here and overrun the place."

"Just like the Screaming Death debacle." Fishlegs added.

"Please tell me your father knows about this part of the mission." Astrid asked, her fingers touching her forehead.

"Uh, no, not exactly." Hiccup replied sheepishly.

"So we're going behind his back, again? Hiccup, if your father finds out about all the times we've done this, he won't be able to trust us to do anything." Astrid tried to reason.

"She's got a point," Fishlegs chimed in; "If Stoick had a sheep for every time we went behind his back, he'd be a rich man."

"He already is a rich man, he's the chief." Snotlout commented.

"Looks guys, I know, but there's still the possibility that Dagur isn't there to kill the dragons on Dragon Island."

"Then what would he be there for?" Fishlegs asks.

"I don't know and neither does my father." Hiccup replies.

"So wait a minute, what _exactly_ are we doing?" Tuffnut asks, his head hurting from all of the chatter.

"We're going to see what Dagur is up to." Astrid replied.

"And if he's after the dragons, we stop him." Hiccup replied as well.

"Alright, that's a much simpler version; why couldn't you just say that?" Tuffnut complained.

"So when do we leave?" Snotlout enquired.

"As soon as possible." Hiccup responded. "The faster we get there the better."

* * *

They all flew together in a group, Hiccup and Toothless being slightly ahead. It was during early in the afternoon when the teens left, figuring they'd need all the sunlight they could get before this whole potential debacle would be over. Knowing Dagur, he'd walk a million miles just to have a fight with Hiccup and Toothless. That man really lived up to him name, the Deranged.

It wasn't long before the riders had Dragon Island within their sights, and it wasn't long after that they saw Dagur's armada. They all gasped as they set their eyes on the numbers, the entire fleet of Outcasts and Berserkers making Dragon Island look like it had a coral reef. Even though they were already high in the sky, Hiccup commanded the group to ascend above the clouds; getting spotted now would mean they'd have to fight and by looking at those numbers, Hiccup knew there was more than fifty thousand.

They flew to a spot where the clouds divided and allowed them a peek down below. The sight wasn't a thing to behold.

"Oh my Thor," Astrid gaped as she gazed down at the armada below them.

"Uh, that's a lot of people. Are you sure we want to be fighting them Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked, his hands coming together and he felt uneasy. "The odds of us six winning against their one hundred thousand seems quite impossible."

"Let's just stick to the clouds for now and see if they really doing anything with Dragon Island." Hiccup informed.

"It doesn't look like they are, let's go home." Snotlout rushed.

"No, hold on." Hiccup stopped him, bringing out his telescope and taking a closer look at the ships below. Chained and hog tied on most of the armada's decks were dragons, ranging from Terrible Terrors to Monstrous Nightmares.

"He's holding dragons." Hiccup announced, his voice laced with anger and fear. He moved the telescope over to the head ship, settling on the image of another telescope glass. Furrowing his eyebrows, he contemplated on what it was before it was removed to show the face of Dagur.

Dagur smiled up at Hiccup and giggled, jumping up onto the side of his boat and holding out his arms.

"Surprise, surprise Hiccup!" He announced with sadistic grin.

Hiccup removed the telescope from his vision and gaped down at the man and his fleet; his friends sharing the same shock as he.

Dagur was kidnapping dragons.

* * *

**A.N.**

**Alright, I'm not quite done with A Banished Beast, my other story, but it's getting closer to the end and I just couldn't wait any longer to post this story. That and I need to take a small break to help clear my head, the ending to the story is still a bit foggy to me.  
**

**The first chapter seems to jump right into things, but that's kind of how I envisioned it. Thank you all for everything and I'll be reading you soon! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk**

**Night Fury Down**

**Chapter 2**

* * *

"Surprise, surprise Hiccup!" Dagur announces, afterwards going into his deranged laughter.

The teens looked shocked, not because Dagur was here, but because the man had been kidnapping dragons and a lot of them. Dragon Island was their only home after the Screaming Death literally destroyed the other islands. This was supposed to be their safe heaven, but now Dagur and his men, Outcasts included, have taken up the sport of hunting them.

"Look at all of those dragons Hiccup;" Fishlegs whined, feeling extremely sorry for the creatures, "There's so many of them."

"What are we going to do?" Astrid asked and looked at Hiccup. Hiccup lifted his eyes up from the scene below and took a glance at all of his friends.

"We stick to the plan, free the dragons."

"But there are so many ships." Fishlegs exclaimed.

"And like a bazillion armed Berserkers and Outcasts." Snotlout added.

"We can do this." Hiccup reassured them. "Defensive positions;" he announced, getting the others ready to move out. "Keep moving, stay focused, and stay in contact."

"Alright guys, let's go!" Astrid shouted, the group diving down towards the ships below.

"There're coming at us, just like you planned." Savage said to Dagur, him and his new leader watching as the teens began attacking the ships nearest to them.

Dagur smiled, "Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup; you are so predictable." He turned to Savage. "Ready the archers." He ordered, Savage repeated his words to the crew men.

Back up in the skies, the teens were taking out traps left and right. Snotlout and Hookfang stayed close to the water and fired upon the ships that held the captive wild dragons. Shooting the ropes and burning the decks, the dragons flew away as soon as their bonds were loose.

Spikes flew down onto the ships as they embedded themselves in the ropes and cutting free the dragons that were trapped there. Men scrambled to aim the catapults, and archers quickened to reload their crossbows. It was actually getting to be quite easy for Astrid and the other riders for the Berserkers had to be careful not to hit one of their own ships when they missed the dragons.

Toothless and Hiccup dove in and out, Toothless charging up a plasma blast each time and firing it upon the boats, destroying them and sending their men diving into the water. The less boats they had to deal with, the better.

Said Night Fury dove down again, firing up another plasma blast and shooting it at one of the catapults. That particular catapult was just about to launch its rock, but the force collided with Toothless' plasma blast and caused the momentum of the rock to crash straight down into the ship itself. Toothless flew around the new wreckage, staying low to the ocean's surface, and began making his way towards Dagur's ship.

"Aim all of your arrows at the Night Fury!" Dagur commanded, picking up his crossbow as well and taking aim at the oncoming duo.

Toothless shot a plasma blast, but fired it into the water just shy of the ship; the sea water splashing up onto the boat and blinding the men momentarily. Toothless and Hiccup flew over just as Dagur was clearing his vision of the salty liquid.

Dagur growled loudly, his anger visibly shaking his body as his teeth bared. He rushed over to the other end of his ship and took aim again, firing a few arrows, but none of them making their mark. It was going to be near to impossible to shoot that Night Fury. Dagur smiled and turned around to address his men.

"New plan, aim all of your arrows at _Hiccup_." He ordered with a sadistic smile. His men smiled with him, more than happy to carry out his order.

More and more ships went down at the hands of the dragon riders, more and more wild dragons flew free from their bonds back to Dragon Island.

"Whooohooo!" Snotlout shouted with glee, his and Hookfang firing crazily at the ships all the while avoiding the flying projectiles and boulders. Their fun ended, however, as more and more boulders began flying past them.

"Uh, is it just me, or are they beginning to single us out?" Fishlegs asked him and Meatlug moving every which way to avoid getting hit. Where he was at, all of the ships were aiming their fire at him. But where Astrid and the others were at, all of their nearby ships were aiming at them, especially Hiccup.

Hiccup heard his friend's observation and began taking note of what was going on around us. He quickly spun around and ducked as an arrow nearly grazed his head; glancing down to find it being shot by Dagur.

"Come on Hiccup, don't play games; all I want is your Night Fury…" he shouted at his foe, "And to see you bleed." He whispered to himself. He fired another arrow and watched as Toothless turned to avoid his rider getting hit. Dagur's eyes widened in realization his smiled momentarily fading before coming back.

"I guess the only way to get Hiccup is to get _rid_ of his Night Fury." Dagur said to himself, placing another arrow in his crossbow and taking aim. He watched with hawk eyes as the duo flew by and then ascended higher in the sky.

"Wait for it, wait for it…" he whispered, focused on his targets. Toothless turned around again, heading back towards Dagur's ship before turning right and now flying parallel to it.

"That's it," Dagur said with a grin. He chuckled as his finger itched to pull the trigger. As soon as everything was lined up…

"Hiccup, you and your dragon are _mine_." Once he said _mine_ the arrow shot through the air. Everything was in slow motion in Toothless' eyes. His ears perked at the sound of the arrow being shot, he and his rider turning their heads to the right. It would have been a perfect shot to Hiccup's chest, but Toothless turned his back and twisted his body so that Hiccup would be spared. Unfortunately, he did not have enough time to twist completely and the arrow embedded itself straight into the side of his chest.

Toothless' whines and cries could be heard from all of the riders, even Dagur and his men. His altitude took a turn for the worst as he began to gradually descend with no control.

"TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup shouted, fear for his friend as his ears unwilling listened to the Night Fury's cries of pain. Hiccup leveled him out and leaned over the side to see if he could pinpoint where Toothless got hit, but his wings were in the way. Hiccup looked around, desperation clear on his face. He saw Dragon Island and decided it to be their only escape.

"Come on bud, come on; you can make it." He tried to help his friend, "We're almost there; I know it hurts, just hold on Toothless." He ushered his friend, tears almost falling from his eyes.

Dagur hopped onto the ships side and started laughing hysterically. When he was done, he pointed towards Dragon Island and addressed himself to his men.

"To the shore! I need to collect my prizes!"

Toothless nearly crash landed onto the beach, sliding a bit before finally stopping. The force of the impact had knocked Hiccup off of the saddle and sent his crashing into the sand not far from Toothless. He got up unscathed and rushed back over to his friend.

"Toothless!" he shouted, the amount of horror on his face unparalleled. He slid on his knees to a halt; touching his friends head and examining his wound a little too close to his lung. The arrow was almost half way into the skin, the greater portion of it outside instead of inside.

Toothless' breathes were hitched, a choking sound coming from deep within his throat with every inhale. Hiccup went back over to his friend and tried lifting up his head, but it was too heavy so he ended up getting lower to Toothless' eye level.

"Hang in there bud," he soothed sorrowfully; Toothless cooed in pain, his eyes half open as his body began to go numb. Hiccup fell back and screamed as a boulder ricocheted off of the ground behind him. Looking back out at sea he saw a couple of ships heading his way, the most recognizable being Dagurs'.

His eyes grew and he quickly got up, ushering Toothless to do the same.

"Come on bud, get up, we have to go!" Toothless would not move, his body wouldn't respond. His vision began to blacken around the edges. "Toothless! Toothless!" he heard his rider shout, then another scream as another boulder hit close to them.

A sudden strength came to him and the blackness forming around the edge of his vision moved away. Toothless lifted himself up off of the sand and unsteadily moved towards Hiccup.

"Come on, that's it bud, come on!" Hiccup cheered for him, leading him quickly into the forest and away from the beach. Toothless struggled to stay up, tripping constantly and falling every so often, but the sound of Hiccup's voice kept him going until he couldn't go any further.

Dagur, Savage and a mixture of Outcasts and Berserkers jumped off of their ship as soon as it reached land.

"Kill that Night Fury and secure Hiccup!" Dagur shouted the order, his men and Savage running into the island's flora. "You can run Hiccup, but you can't hide." He said before running into the forest as well.

Hiccup kept looking back as the voices echoed off of the trees. His attention was diverted to his injured friend as Toothless fell down onto his side.

"Toothless, come on bud, they're coming. You have to get up!" he ushered his friend, but the dragon couldn't move any more, it was too painful and he couldn't breathe… it hurt to breathe.

"Toothless," Hiccup's voice cracked; he knelt down beside his friend. His head whipped up at the sound of the voices getting louder, and closer.

"Toothless?" he called for him, but Toothless wasn't getting up any time soon. His eyes darted back and forth before he hugged his friend's head, staying low to the ground and keeping quiet.

The footsteps were getting closer, practically right on them…

"Please don't find us, please don't find us, please don't find us…" he pleaded silently. His body tensed and his grip on Toothless tightened as the footsteps were nearly beside them.

The Berserkers kept running searching the forest before continuing on, their shouts echoing off of the trees. The lot of them continued inland, searching around while keeping their pace, all passing the black form that was perfectly hidden within a group of bushes.

Hiccup's body began to relax as the footsteps faded away, his head lifting up and looking around to see if the coast was clear. His heart was pounding and his breathes quickened to keep up with the pace. He uneasily stood up, keeping low to the ground while moving towards the bush and pushing a bit of it out of the way. His scared eyes darted left to right, but no one stepped into his sight.

He breathed a sigh of relief and staggered back over to his friend. He fell down onto his knees and closed his eyes, his ears listening to Toothless' hitched breathing.

"Toothless…" he said mournfully as he placed his hand onto the dragon's forehead.

* * *

**A.N.**

**A big long chapter for you guys, whoohooo! I have this whole story outlined, well actually only up to the sixth chapter. But technically, I have everything planned.**

**No sorry, Heather isn't going to be in this story either, but I find some way to include her in a story one way or another. Yes this story is by itself, it doesn't proceed from any of the other ones as do the all of the 'season three'. Night Fury Down stands alone. Also, I did not intend for the title to sound like anything else, it was the first thing that popped into my head and I kept it. I probably got it from unconsciously knowing about the one episode that I always forget the name of, Zippleback Down.**

**Other than that, Chapter 22 of A Banished Beast is about 50% done and probably will be posted tomorrow. Thank you all for the reviews, views, favorites, follows and have a great day!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk**

**Night Fury Down**

**Chapter 3**

Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruff and Tuff all witnessed the crash of their friend and leader, Dagur's ship rolling in to capture both of them.

"Oh no, Hiccup!" Astrid shouts, her and her friend's attention diverted from the armada. This hole of an opportunity gives the Berserker and Outcast ships enough time to fire boulders, nearly hitting the distracted teens and throwing them off course to help their friend.

"Astrid!" Fishlegs screamed, "There's too many of them!"

"Whoa!" Snotlout yelled as he head nearly got ripped off from a boulder Hookfang just barely dodged.

"AHHHAHAHHH!" The twins shouted with fear as their dragon split to go both left and right as a boulder flew in between. They crashed into each other and momentarily spun out of control before leveling back off.

"Everybody split! They can't capture us if we separate!" Astrid ordered.

"Way ahead of you!" Ruffnut hollered back as her and her brother flew off; Hookfang and Snotlout soon following their lead and flying off in a different direction.

"Fishlegs, go find Hiccup!" Astrid commanded. Fishlegs nodded and Meatlug soared down towards Dragon Island, being wary of the ships that were docking on the shore.

Astrid and Stormfly quickly flew off towards the south, a few boulders missing them as the left.

* * *

Hiccup gently grabbed the arrow with his left hand, his right laying on Toothless chest. He glanced over at the barely conscious dragon and bit his lip, making sure his grip on the arrow was firm.

"This might hurt a little Toothless." He warned before clutching the dart with both hands and breaking it in two, the end piece not separated from the part that was embedded in Toothless chest. Hiccup threw the useless piece of wood away and directed his attention back to Toothless' wound. It wasn't bleeding and Hiccup would rather keep it like that, the arrow tip holding back the blood. But Toothless didn't sound good, his breathes were a sure sign of it. It sounded like it was hard for him to breathe, Hiccup's best guess was that the bolt had punctured his lung, or was barely scratching it and putting pressure on his lung. Either way it frightened Hiccup to a great extent.

He crawled back over to Toothless' head and lifted his chin up onto his lap. He began petting his forehead, his own head bowed and eyes barely open. Every once in a while, Toothless would whimper from the pain and it only brought forth tears in Hiccup's eyes.

Hiccup brought his forehead down onto Toothless', his eyes closed and his lips slightly a part. A few tears fell down his cheek, but Hiccup refused to give up now.

Suddenly, a rustle of leaves and a few twig snaps alerted Hiccup to another's presence. He bolted his head up, eyes as wide as they could be. His body tensed and he quickly laid Toothless' head back down on the ground. He stood up, looking around for something to defend them with. Picking up a stick, he held it out in front of him like a sword and readied for whoever was to come out of the rattling bush.

His body tensed as the figure stepped out, but soon relaxed as he recognized the frame of not just one, but two.

"Fishlegs!" he exclaimed, thankful that it was his friend rather than an Outcast or Berserker… or Dagur.

Fishlegs looked up from where his eyes were focused and smiled to finally find his friend. His dragon, Meatlug, came out from the bush as well and sat next to her rider.

"Hiccup! Oh thank Thor I found you! Are you alright? Is Toothless okay?" He glanced down at the stick in Hiccup's hand and furrowed his eyebrows, a little afraid of its purpose. "What were you going to do with that stick?" he asked, pointed shyly at the thick twig.

Hiccup looked down at the stick as it was mentioned and tossed it away feeling no need to explain.

"I'm fine, but Toothless isn't." he replied solemnly, not bothering to answer Fishlegs last question about the stick. "Do you know of any plants here on Dragon Island that can help Toothless?" he asked, feeling more desperate by the minute.

Fishlegs was a bit distracted by the Night Fury's injury, his face contorted as he saw the severity of the situation.

"Uh, yeah; a Beatzolt plant." He replied, "You can find it near a water source, looks like a fern." Fishlegs further explained.

"Thank you," Hiccup replied, his voice seeming distant.

"I can go find one for you—"Fishlegs offered.

"No," Hiccup stopped him. "Where are the others?" he asked.

"We got separated; there was too many of them, we were outnumbered." Fishlegs informed gravely.

"Are they here on the island?" Hiccup asked.

"No,"

"Okay, good."

"Look, Hiccup, we can go find the plant and—" Hiccup interrupted him.

"No, Dagur is here for me and Toothless. None of you guys need to be a part of this."

"But we can help, let us help you—"

"I do need your help, Fishlegs. I need you to fly back to Berk and get my father—"

"But Hiccup—"

"Please Fishlegs, this is important." Hiccup practically begged his friend. Fishlegs' eyes dropped down to the ground before looking back up at his friend.

"Okay, I'll go." He said, walking over to Meatlug and picking something up from her side pouch.

"Here," he offered a green Terrible Terror, the little rascal hopping off of his arm and onto Hiccup's. "Take Sharpshot for communication, just in case." Said little dragon crawled on over to lie on Hiccup's shoulders.

"Thank you, Fishlegs." Hiccup replied gratefully. Fishlegs hopped onto Meatlug's saddle,

"Good luck." Was all Fishlegs could say before Meatlug flew off into the air. Hiccup watched him leave, absentmindedly scratching Sharpshot's chin making the little dragon coo.

He glanced back down at Toothless, the sadness coming back into his features. He walked over and knelt down beside him,

"I'll be back Toothless, I'll be back with some medicine." He soothed, petting Toothless' head. Standing back up, he twisted around to see which way would be best to start looking. After randomly choosing a direction, he scratched Sharpshots chin again and started walking.

"Come on Sharpshot, let's go find that plant."

* * *

**A.N.**

**This chapter was intended to be short, so apologies if you were hoping for a longer chapter.**

**Thanks again for the reviews and all of the readers who are reading my stories!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk**

**Night Fury Down**

**Chapter 4**

* * *

"Come on, come on! We have to find that little runt!" Savage rushed his men, pushing them further inland.

"We're getting pretty far in, do you think they'd make it this far?" A berserker asked.

"Wha'cha mean?" Savage questioned.

"Well, that Night Fury got hurt pretty bad, do you honestly think it could have made it this far into the woods?" the soldier further explained.

"You mean we missed them?!" Savage exclaimed.

"Forget about the Night Fury, it's as good as dead now." Dagur interrupted, walking calmly up beside them and continuing forward with his crossbow cocked. The men glanced at each other just as Dagur stopped and turned around.

"I'm more concerned about _Hiccup_, as long as he's still out there and not screaming in pain, he's a threat to us." Dagur explained before turning back around and walking forward. "Besides, if we find Hiccup, we'll find that Night Fury of his."

"What are you going to do with the boy after capturing him, sir?" Savage asked, curious as to what Dagur would do as opposed to his late chief, Alvin.

Dagur stopped in his tracks, his back to his men; his eyes were narrow as they glared ahead.

"All you need to worry about is that when we _do_ capture that weak, fragile, little runt **none** of you are to touch him." He threatened before carrying on.

"Aw," one of the Outcasts stated, "But I wanted to see him squirm." He whined.

"Oh you'll see him squirm," Dagur replied in a low voice, calm and eerily defined. "I'm going to make sure he never trains dragons again."

* * *

Hiccup slid down the mossy slope and followed the sound of the rushing water. Sharpshot still clung to his arm, occasionally scrambling over onto his shoulders before going back onto Hiccup's arms. He glanced around, snarling at the distant sounds of wild dragons.

"Calm down, Sharpshot; there's nothing to be worked up about here." Hiccup reassured his little friend. He did, however, glance back from where they came; his mind constantly worrying about Toothless.

Will he be okay by himself? Will they find him?

…Is he still alive…?

Though the last question was nearly banished from his train of thought, he couldn't help but consider the possibility, no matter how much it hurt. He almost started crying again before he lifted his head and continued to stay positive.

_Toothless is strong, he'll make it_, he thought to himself.

As the rushing water got louder, Hiccup picked up his pace and soon enough, the river he was looking for came into view.

A sigh escaped his lips and he visually relaxed, more than happy to finally find the river. Now all he needed to do was find the plant, Beat—something, the name was weird.

"Alright, looks like a fern, looks like a fern." He said to himself as he scanned the river side for any fern-like plant. Evidently, he found one, just off to his right.

"There!" he exclaimed happily, running over and kneeling down to uproot it. A thought came to his mind and he paused.

"Wait, how do I know this isn't just an actual fern?" he questioned, looking at Sharpshot who jumped off his arm and began sniffing the plant. "Do ferns grow near water?" he asked the little Terrible Terror. He looked up at Hiccup, eyes wide; he blinked twice, continuing to stare up at his Viking.

"I guess it's do or die, huh?" The little green fella cooed at him. Hiccup grabbed the plant by the stem and pulled up, the roots soon following.

"Right, let's get this back to Toothless before it dies." He said, heading back up the river bank.

A sound in the distance caught his attention and his curiosity got the better of him. He followed it, a series of hisses and squawks that sounded as if coming from many rather than just one. Sharpshot hopped back onto Hiccup shoulders and began growling as they got closer to the sound.

Hiccup moved some leaves out of his way, the two of them walking into a small open patch. In the middle was a cage, a cage full of wild Terrible Terrors. They were obviously a group, probably got caught up in Dagur's dragon hunting party.

Sharpshot roared and raised his wings at them, startling Hiccup slightly.

"Easy there Sharpshot," he calmed the little guy down before approaching the cage and kneeling down to look at the other Terrible Terrors trapped within.

Hiccup sighed, "Looks like Toothless isn't the only dragon that needs help around here." He said to himself, glancing down at the plant in his hand. The Terrible Terrors scrambled about, climbing on top of each other to get a look at the stranger outside of the bars.

Hiccup put his hand inside his wool jacket and pulled out his dagger. He might have forgotten to bring his shield, but at least he still had his dagger. He placed the tip of the blade inside the lock and jiggled it around, his tongue sticking out every now and then as he concentrated. Soon, the lock clicked and the door opened.

Hiccup screamed from sudden fright and fell backwards as the dragons all rushed out of the cage, flying up into the sky and disappearing. Sharpshot hissed and growled at them, climbing all over Hiccup as if to warn them to stay away from his Viking.

Hiccup shook his head and sat up; bring his legs inward and crossing them. He looked in the direction the little dragons flew off to and smiled, happy to help them be free again. A thought came to mind and he furrowed his eyebrows.

_Why is Dagur capturing dragons if all he wants to do is kill them?_ He thought. His body tensed as he figured all of this could just be a trap for him. Glancing around, he slowly stood up before running off into the brush. He slid down to the ground and lay on his belly, taking a peek out into the opening where he once was.

Nothing stirred; the only sounds heard were the chirping birds up above.

His eyelids came half way down, "I'm worrying for nothing." He said, twisting around onto his back. He looked down at the plant. "And wasting time," he stated, getting back up onto his feet and dusting the dirt off of his clothes.

"Keep looking!" a voice screamed in the distant, causing Hiccup's head to bolt up and his body to tense again.

"That sounded like Savage." He concluded.

"They've got to be around here somewhere!" the voice screamed again.

Hiccup crawls down the slope to stop at a bush and peek through. There ahead of him was the Berserkers, Outcasts, Savage and Dagur. There were at least thirty of them, maybe forty five; he couldn't really tell since they were scattered throughout the trees.

"Oh Hiccup!" Dagur yelled with a singing voice. "Come out, come out where ever you are!" he shouted as if Hiccup was nearby; unknowingly, he was.

"Come on _little Hiccup_, we won't bite." Dagur teased some more.

"But I thought you said we were going to hurt him?" one of the Berserkers questioned. Dagur looked back at him not amused.

"Somebody punch him for me." He stated nonchalantly. The man got at least ten different smacks before falling on the ground.

Hiccup narrowed his eyes at Dagur, hatred building up inside. That man was responsible for what happened to Toothless. And he was going to pay for it.

* * *

**A.N.**

**Alright, everything is going according to the outline, YAY! I'm organized!**

**Thank you all again for the reviews and I appreciate the compliments! Thank you so much and I'm glad to hear you are all enjoying my stories!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk**

**Night Fury Down**

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Hiccup shook from behind the bush, his knife raised behind him as he readied to through it at his target. The blade was poised to at least hit him, Hiccup was sure he'd be unable to actually kill Dagur with it. He kept moving as Dagur moved; the older teen oblivious to what was going to happen.

He was going to pay for what he did to Toothless. He readjusted his grip on the handle and took a deep breathe, bring it back further. The time was now, a perfect shot, should he do it right, but his arm wouldn't sling forward and his hand wouldn't let go of the handle. His eyes stared at Dagur, moisture building up in them. He took another deep breathe, trying to settle the argument inside his mind. He again brought his arm back, his grip on the blade strengthened, but he never let it go. He closed his eyes and dropped his arm, his fingers loosing grip on the handle so that the knife was only laying on them.

_I can't hurt him; I'd be no better than Dagur himself_, He thought solemnly. He looked down at the plant beside him.

_And what about Toothless? I'm wasting time sitting here. What if I got caught? I'd be dead… and so would Toothless. I'd be killing Toothless, not Dagur…_

Hiccup looked fearful at the knife in his hand, almost ready to through it away. The thought of _him_ being responsible for Toothless' death; no, unthinkable, he'd never do that. And that's why Hiccup backed up from his previous spot and behind cover where he couldn't be seen.

* * *

Dagur stopped walking and scanned the area, listening for any sounds. He rolled his eyes as his men kept talking, ready to turn around and yell at them…

"How could they be this hard to find?" one stated.

…and he did.

"Will you stop talking?! If Hiccup's nearby he probably already knows we're here thanks to your flapping mouths!" Dagur yelled, his eyes daring them to peep another word.

A small movement of a bush caught Dagur's full attention. Whipping around he stares at the bush, trying to peer behind its leaves to see if he could spot anything… and he did. A small shine of metal just moved off into the darkness.

A twisted smile broke on Dagur's face; raising his crossbow, he sneaked over to the spot, his eyes fixated to find more movement from his little 'brother'.

"I don't get it, if the boy knows we're here, then why don't he just run away?"

"That's the whole point you imbecile, we don't want him to know we're here so that he _doesn't_ run away. Because then, we wouldn't be able to catch him." Savage explained.

"Ohhhh,"

Dagur ignored them as he saw more movement going up the slope of the hill just behind the cover of the leaves. The figure moved behind a tree and Dagur narrowed his eyes, sneaking on over to the spot.

* * *

Hiccup climbed up the slope as silently as he could, crawling behind a tree and leaning his back against it. Sharpshot moved beside him, staring up at with those beady little eyes. Hiccup gently picked him up, and wrapped the plant on his leg. Sharpshot wiggled his leg and glanced at the plant.

"I need you to fly this back to Toothless. Can you do that Sharpshot?" he asked; the little dragon happily squawked at him and flew off. Hiccup smiled, finding some amount of peace knowing Toothless would be fine soon enough.

He sighed and stood up, taking a step forward. But things turned south as he was suddenly knocked over by another force and pinned to the ground. He landed with a grunt and opened his closed eyes to see who his attacker was. They grew as Dagur smiled down at him.

"Gotcha," he whispered in his ear. Hiccup immediately began struggling, fighting Dagur's grip and trying to wiggle free.

"I got him!" Dagur shouted to his men who lifted their heads in attention and ran towards Dagur's voice.

"No!" Hiccup screamed, knowing very well this could be the end for Toothless.

Dagur scowled at Hiccup, the boy doing his best on moving around and making Dagur have to readjust his grip.

The commotion caused Sharpshot to look back and land on a branch, scanning the forest with concern for his Viking. The little dragon squawked sadly as he heard the sound of struggles.

Dagur held Hiccup's arms behind his back and stood him up, watching as he struggled against his hold. He brought a good feeling to see the little runt in despair. Dagur couldn't help but chuckle.

Suddenly, pain shot up his foot; Hiccup managing to kick Dagur with his metal leg. Dagur's grip on Hiccup's arms loosened as his attention was diverted. With the opening, Hiccup ripped himself free and took off, just as Savage and the others got to the spot.

"After him!" Dagur yelled, trying to balance on one foot as the other was stinging with pain. Savage and the others rushed after the fleeing boy, keeping their eyes on his form as best they could.

Hiccup raced past the trees, moving in the opposite direction Toothless was. He knew if he ran back to the hiding spot, they'd follow and Toothless would be as good as dead. But he wasn't going to allow that happen, not if he could help it.

He jumped over a boulder and swerved between some trees, glancing back every once in a while to see if his chasers were still following. A few times he thought he lost them, but evidently he didn't as he barely got cut off on the right. He kept himself from gasping as he quickly ran left, but having to stop as another group of Berserkers and Outcasts came from that direction. It only left him one other choice and he took it.

Everything was beginning to blur before the ground beneath him vanished and he plummeted down. It was a small ravine, a couple yards deep. Hiccup lifted himself up off of the dirt and looked up at the sound of his chaser's shouts. On the side of the gulch was a large tree, its roots sticking out at the bottom of the gorge and offering a darkened hidey hole. Hiccup slid down underneath it, sitting behind the roots and pulling his legs closer to his chest.

The voices got louder and louder, their movements slowing as they didn't see him anymore.

"Where did he go?"

"We lost him!"

"No!" Dagur's voice was very prominent over the others. "He's hiding here somewhere. Look around!" Hiccup shrunk back further as he saw a few shadows over the edge of the ravine.

"Oh Hiccup! Where are you?!" Dagur sang.

"Come here boy!" an Outcast shouted, more laughing at the image of the boy cowering in fear.

"Come out Hiccup!" Savage called with amusement.

"I can't wait to find that runt." A Berserker chuckled.

Dagur glances down at the ravine, peering over the edge to see what was down there. He smiles and brings out his sword, calling to his men to follow his lead and jumps down into the ravine.

Hiccup stops himself from gasping as he hears the many thuds of feet landing down in the small chasm. He leans forward to see if he could spot where they are before he whips himself back against the dirt wall as Dagur walks by just outside of the roots hiding him. The older teen looks around, turning as he did so until his eyes landed on the tree roots. He narrows his eyes, peering into the darkness before smiling and approaching forward.

"Found you," he giggles. Hiccup quickly rushes out and ducks the swing of Dagur's sword, but the blade had managed to cut his left arm. Hiccup unconsciously screams and runs off, Dagur not giving chase.

Savage and the others run up to Dagur, their leader holding out his arm to stop them from giving chase.

"Sir, he's getting away!" Savage exclaimed.

Dagur chuckled and held up his sword, "I coated the blade with poison, he's not going anywhere."

* * *

Hiccup fell to the ground beside Toothless' weak form, landing on his knees while clutching the gash on his left arm. Toothless' breaths were ragged, his eyes too weak to open and gaze upon his rider before him.

Hiccup equally inhaled and exhaled rapidly, the run he made tiring him out to the brink of collapsing. But he couldn't rest now, Dagur was coming; he was sure it wouldn't be that easy to get away from him and his armada, not again at least.

Toothless made an effort to coo, but the noise came out with a painful hiss as Toothless' lung couldn't take the pressure. A tear escaped Hiccup's eyes and he laid a hand on his friend's head. It pained him greatly to see his friend in this condition, and the medicine given to him wasn't helping that much…

Wait…

The medicine! The plant! Sharpshot wasn't here! Hiccup looked around fearfully for the little dragon.

Didn't he make it back, did he get caught? Hiccup didn't have time to think anymore, if he didn't do something quick, Dagur was going to show up and do the unthinkable to Toothless.

"They can't find you, Toothless." He whispered with more tears falling down his cheeks. Hiccup looked down at his arm, the wound was bleeding and the tissue around it was red and swelling.

Hiccup closed his eyes and staggered up onto his tired legs; his ears rang and his vision began to blacken at the edges, a tall tell sign that he was about to pass out. His hand left Toothless' head as he walked away from his friend's side.

"I'm sorry bud." He said before retracing his steps far enough back so Dagur wouldn't find Toothless and only him.

It didn't take long before Hiccup fell back down to the ground. His vision swam a million miles and his knees gave out sending his body down onto his back. Though he could still hear the ringing in his ears, it didn't block out the sound of footprints coming towards him.

Dagur chuckled upon seeing Hiccup falling down, barely conscious. He smirked as he noticed his 'brother's' eyes were open just a crack, the boy struggling to stay awake. Thanks to the poison, Hiccup was now at Dagur's mercy.

Kneeling down, he whispered, "Thanks for the Night Fury." into Hiccup's ear before the boy fell unconscious.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**TADA! I bet the last part seems familiar to some viewers. I know, I know, another cliffhanger; this story is chock full of them. It is a suspense genre is it not?**

**Thanks for the reviews and all of the readers reading my stories!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk**

**Nigh Fury Down**

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Dagur stood up from his knelt position beside Hiccup's now unconscious body. He continued to stare down at the boy with malicious intentions before turning around and addressing himself to Savage.

"Pick him up, take him back to camp and dress his wound. I won't have him dying before I get to do anything." He ordered nonchalantly. Savage nodded and waved his hand for two of his men to get Hiccup. A Berserker took one side, holding his arms, and an Outcast took the other side, doing the same. Five other Berserker and Outcasts followed them back to camp, Savage turning to leave with them before Dagur spoke up again.

"Oh and one more thing, Savage." He said calmly, Savage turning around to listen up. In the blink of an eye, Dagur brought his axe out and held its blade inches from Savage's neck. The Outcast gasped and held his breathe, wide eyes fixated on his leader.

"Don't touch him, that's my job." Dagur threatened with a hiss.

"Yes sir," Savage replied with a soft almost squeaky voice, exhaling as the axe was removed from its threatening post. He sighed in relief and unconsciously rubbing his neck before rejoining with the others and heading back to camp with the boy.

Dagur turned his attention back to the rest of his men.

"Fan out! The Night Fury's gotta be around here somewhere!"

* * *

Stormfly landed on the sea stack and shook her spines loose of tension. She squawked, her rider jumping down from the saddle and peering out at the horizon.

Hookfang and Snotlout made their way over, landing down in front of Astrid and Stormfly.

"That… was crazy." Snotlout breathed out.

"Where's the twins?" Astrid asked, scowling at Snotlout like he was her little, irresponsible brother.

"Will you relax, we had to circle back around; they'll be here soon." Snotlout replied. His words actually spoke the truth as not much later the twins arrived and landed beside Hookfang and Snotlout.

"Please tell me you weren't followed." Astrid begged for them to say no.

"Do you want a specific number or like no one at all?" Tuffnut asked. Astrid and Snotlout looked at them before peering out over the side of the sea stack. Evidently, a whole fleet of Outcasts and Berserkers were sailing towards their location.

Astrid growled and glared at the two morons on top of their Zippleback.

"Everyone split up again." She ordered; the three of them flying off in different directions once more.

* * *

Meatlug and Fishlegs flew a little faster as Berk came up over the horizon; the two of them rushing to get home and inform their chief of the bad news.

"Come on girl, faster; we don't know how much time they have." Fishlegs urged her on. A Thunderdrum call alerted him to Stoick's presence; looking up he saw the chief fly towards them on the back of Thornado.

"Fishlegs, there you are. Where are the others?" Stoick asked, hovering next to Fishlegs and Meatlug. Said young Viking looked at him like he was guilty.

"Fishlegs, what's wrong?"

"Sir, I have some bad news."

* * *

Hiccup's eyes blinked open, his vision still a bit wonky. It took a couple seconds for everything to get back into focus.

Hiccup was laying on his back on a wooden surface looking up at the top of what he could make out was a tent. He glanced down at his left arm and noticed the white wrappings. He leaned forward only to be stricken down.

He unconsciously screamed as his neck was grabbed and his body forced back down onto the table; Dagur glaring down at him with hate filled eyes. His grip tightened and Hiccup choked a little from the pressure.

"Where's… that… dragon…?" Dagur hissed slowly, his anger building up. Obviously his search ended up being for nothing as Toothless still evaded his grasp. And Hiccup couldn't be happier.

"Answer me!" he yelled, picking Hiccup up off the table before slamming him down.

"I won't tell you…" Hiccup coughed out, his voice barely audible from the lack of room in his throat to speak properly. He could barely breathe the pressure on his neck getting tighter and tighter; he could only guess his face was turning red and purple at the moment.

Dagur glowered at him and growled, releasing his grip and watching Hiccup suck in a deep breath. He grabbed him again, this time at the back of the neck, and dragged him off the table and up into the air. Hiccup's eyes squeezed shut as Dagur's fingers pinched his nerves and caused immense amount of pain to shoot across his neck. He kicked his legs as neither of them were able to touch the ground, trying to see if he could manage a hit, but failed the reach the man behind him.

Dagur walked out of the tent and into the opening of the camp where the rest of his men gathered around. They looked up and grinned maliciously at the squirming form of their prisoner.

Hiccup grunted as he was taken over to a tree and thrown down on the ground. He tried to lift himself up only to get a kick in the stomach by Dagur who effectively turned him over onto his back. He relished in the pained sounds that escaped from Hiccup and smiled. Taking his hands, he dragged Hiccup over to the tree and roughly pinned him against its bark. He tied Hiccup's arms arm the tree, and then proceeded to further ensure his imprisonment by tying his torso to the tree.

Hiccup struggled with the bonds, testing to see how strong they were. Unfortunately they were immensely tight, the news making him physically slum in defeat. Dagur and the others noticed and they chuckled, a few even laughing.

Dagur knelt down and tapped Hiccup's chin, "Don't think you'll be getting out of there any time soon." Hiccup looked up at him with hatred mixed with fear.

"Now," the calmness in Dagur's voice scared him, "Tell me where that Night Fury of yours is," A silver bladed dagger was lifted up right in front of Hiccup's eyes.

"Or else." Dagur's eyes glimmered with excitement as his smile down upon Hiccup's frightened face.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Yeah, two chapters in one day, but this one isn't that long. And it ends with another cliffhanger, wow, I'm getting good at these *evil grin*.**

**MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA, I'll ve vack for more chap-e-ters!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk**

**Night Fury Down**

**Chapter 7**

* * *

Another scream found its way out of Hiccup's mouth, the boy doing his best to muffle the noise so that his captors wouldn't get any enjoyment. Unfortunately, they were enjoying either way.

Savage and the other Outcasts smiled in amusement as they watched Dagur add more cuts to Hiccup's legs, his abdomen already full of them. It hadn't started out with a dagger though; Dagur had kicked him many times before he moved on to his weapons. There was an enormous bruise covering the entire length of Hiccup's left hip; not knowing if Dagur actually meant to hit him there or just kept missing his stomach. The black and blue mark ached when a small amount of pressure was applied; unfortunately that little amount was a simple as a single touch. But the bruise wasn't as serious as the rest of his body.

His torso and now legs were covered in long, but not so deep cuts thanks to Dagur's dagger. It stung like a bazillion paper cuts that have been slashed at again and again. And it didn't just feel like that, Hiccup was sure some parts of his skin had met the blade more than once.

And Dagur loved it.

He was enjoying every bit.

Each time Hiccup would refuse to tell him where Toothless was, it only gave Dagur more time to have fun. You'd think he'd be getting angry after a while, constantly being denied wait he wanted, but it only got better as time went on. More and more ideas came to Dagur's mind of how to torture Hiccup; the teen was practically bursting at the seams from all of the anticipation. Of course he couldn't use all of them, some required them to head back home and get the 'equipment' ready. Some were too dangerous to try, as it would undoubtedly result in death and Dagur didn't want to kill Hiccup, just torture him; incapacitate him. There would be an easy way of doing that, just cut off both his legs, but where would fun be in that? Quick, easy, simple; those words were not in Dagur's dictionary, or at least used in sentences dealing with _torture_. Torture was meant to be just that, _torture_; and Dagur rated himself to be the king of it.

"You still haven't answered my question Hiccup." Dagur stated rather calmly. He smiled as he stroked his finger of the bloody blade of his dagger.

Hiccup couldn't help but shiver, his body going through so much pain he wished he'd just go numb. He kept his head down, eyes closed and avoiding Dagur's wicked smile.

Dagur slashed the blade across his legs again, another scream coming from Hiccup, but this time it was muffled at the last second. Dagur laughed at his attempt of strength, feeling it to be useless now.

Dagur's eyes got wide and his smile grew across his face, he stood up and brought out his sword.

"If you won't talk with my dagger, then maybe you'll sing with _this_." He stated as he placed the metal blade into the fire and let it heat up. Hiccup lifted his head with wide eyes as he watched Dagur remove the blade from the fire, its color a yellowish orange. Hiccup knew how hot those things could be, large amounts of warnings from Gobber when he worked with him at the forge.

Dagur couldn't help but laugh as he approached Hiccup with the heated sword, his face screaming terror. The others smiled and chuckled, anticipation on the boy's reaction to the pain chewing at their insides.

"Stop!" Hiccup's voice shouted out. "I'll tell you where Toothless is!"

Dagur smiled and placed one hand on his hip, lowering the sword.

Hiccup swallowed, knowing this would result in a horrible punishment.

"He's in a cave." He lied.

"Where?" Dagur questioned.

"By the shore."

"By the shore?" Dagur had doubt. "I saw you run into the forest, we all saw you."

"I doubled back around knowing you guys would continue inland." Hiccup explained the falsehood.

Dagur narrowed his eyes before smiling; "You _are_ a tricky one." He fell for it. "Men, get ready to head to the beach." He announced, putting his sword back in its sheath and kneeling down beside Hiccup.

"We'll continue this after I get back with your dragon." He said happily. Then, Dagur suddenly grabbed Hiccup's hair in the back of his head and yanked down causing him to grunt from the pain.

"And it better be there." Dagur warned before letting go and placing a gag on his mouth, tying it around at the back of his head. He got up and walked out, stopping just as he passed Savage and turning around to speak to him.

"Oh, Savage, stay here and clean his wounds." He ordered casually. Savage raised an eyebrow.

"And make sure you clean them with salt water." Savage grinned this time, now it made sense. He and three others stayed at the camp while the rest rushed out towards the shore, crossbows, swords and axes readied.

Hiccup looked up at Savage as the man smiled down at him.

"Go get some buckets boys." He ordered.

* * *

Hiccup screamed mentally as the salt began burning his wounds, his whole body feeling like it was on fire. He shook and thrashed against the bonds holding him against the tree, his eyes shut as tight as he could get them.

Savage and the others laughed at his torment, the Berserker holding the empty bucket giggling and smiling at Hiccup's withering form.

"Quickly, pour another one on him." The Outcast said in the back, he and the Berserker beside him wanting to see Hiccup thrash again. The other Berserker grabbed another bucket and prepared to toss the water onto Hiccup before he was stopped by Savage's out lifted arm.

"Whoa, whoa, wait;" Savage smiled and knelt down to take the gag off of Hiccup.

"I want to hear him scream." He said. He stepped back beside the Berserker when he was done. "Now do it."

The Berserker brought the bucket back before jerking it forward, the ocean water spilling out all at once and splashing down onto Hiccup. He closed his eyes and bit his tongue, the urge to scream from the burning pain overwhelming. He couldn't hold it in and his voice shouted the pain he was experiencing.

Savage and the other three laughed and cheered at the boy's misery, walking back over to the fire pit and talking amongst themselves.

"Oh that was good." One of the Berserkers stated.

"We should do another one." The Outcast suggested.

"No," the Berserker replied.

"We only got two buckets, and unless you want to trek all the way to the shore again, then be my guess." The other Berserker commented.

"Isn't there something else we could do to him?" the Outcast asked.

"No, Dagur specifically said not to touch him. We'll just have to wait until he gets back." Savage warned them.

Hiccup listened to their conversation, his head bowed and his eyes closed. The salt was still burning his wound, but the pain wasn't as severe as it was the first time.

A sound from behind him caught his attention, lifting his head up and glancing back to his right. It was a cooing sound, and a familiar one.

Sharpshot waved his wings up and down and smiled at Hiccup as the young Viking laid eyes on him. The little Terrible Terror was attached to the tree, face towards the ground as he licked Hiccup's face; afterwards shaking his head in disgust as he tasted the salt.

"Sharpshot, what are you… doing here?" Hiccup questioned, his voice low so that his captors wouldn't hear. His eyes moved over to Sharpsho'ts leg where nothing was tied there.

He gasped, "Where's the plant!" he exclaimed quietly.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Alright, now I know I've been updating this story quite a bit and haven't touch A Banished Beast yet; I'll be working on the ideas for chapter 24 today and tomorrow, but I don't know when I'll be updating.**

**With that said I wish everyone a happy New Year and hoped everyone had a great 2013! I'll be reading you in 2014!**

**Happy New Year!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk**

**Night Fury Down**

**Chapter 8**

* * *

"Sharpshot, where's the plant!" Hiccup questioned with a silent hiss. He limbs were aching from the salt, his wrists were beginning to get raw from the rope tightly binding him to the tree and his hip hurt **really** bad. He was glad that he didn't need to worry about an infection from his cuts due to the salt, but he wasn't so happy with the news that Sharpshot had brought; and it only got worse.

The little Terrible Terror squawked happily at him before disappearing behind the tree and reappearing with the plant Hiccup was worried about.

"Sharpshot, you were supposed to take it to Toothless." Hiccup reminded the little fella, his concern for his friend rising higher than ever. He was still in pain, this whole time he was still suffering!

Sharpshot jumped down in front of Hiccup and laid the Beatzolt by his legs, nudging it to his red wounds with a sorrowful look on his face. Hiccup knew what he wanted.

"No Sharpshot, Toothless needs it more than I do." He begged.

Savage heard Hiccup mumbling and turned his head, not really paying attention while he spoke.

"Hey, shut up over there." He turned his head back around to eat his yak leg he held in his hand before he stopped mid bite and veered back around, eyes wide.

"Hey!" he shouted as he saw Sharpshot by Hiccup. The other three guards stood up in alert and brought out their weapons.

"You stupid Terrible Terror, get away from there!" Savage yelled, unsheathing his sword and walking over to the tree. Sharpshot growled and fired at him, effectively knocking him onto his butt.

One of the Berserkers gasped, "He trained it!" Soon after he was knocked over as Sharpshot leaped at his face and began tearing it up like a cat. The other Berserker leaned over at the struggle man and attempted to pry the little beast off but got attacked himself as Sharpshot switched his targets.

The outcast leaned down beside Savage, making sure he was alright. Savage growled at the guy and pushed him aside while getting up.

"Not me, secure Hiccup!" The Outcast stepped back in realization before rushing over towards Hiccup. By the time he was half way there, something knocked his helmet off.

"My helmet." He said, bending down to pick it up. It was a grave mistake as Sharpshot dove in and clamped his teeth on his butt. The man screamed and started running around, Sharpshot hanging onto his behind like a piranha.

Savage stood up, watching with horror at the other Outcast. Turning around, he smirked at Hiccup and began approaching him with his sword drawn.

Next thing anyone knew, the man was out cold, falling down on his stomach after being smacked in the head with an Outcast helmet.

Sharpshot scurried around the man and up to Hiccup.

"Good boy, Sharpshot." Hiccup praised the little guy. "But we have to hurry, quickly before Dagur comes back." He ushered the Terrible Terror, the green dragon crawling back on the tree and eating at the ropes. Soon they fell and Hiccup's arms slowly fell to his side, the joints aching like crazy after staying in that position for so long.

Hiccup hissed from the pain and rubbed his wrists, then shoulders before standing up and balancing himself out. He tested his legs to see if he could walk; the cuts practically all over his front side didn't falter his movability, it was bruised hip that caused him to skip a step and limp. He clutched the pained area and hissed, trying again and getting the same result. Unfortunately, they didn't have any time to waste and Hiccup forced himself to swallow the agony and half run out of the camp with Sharpshot in tow.

The plant was forgotten and left there by the tree.

* * *

Dagur angrily strides over towards the camp, his eyes narrow and his hands balled in into fists. He growled, the information given to him by _Hiccup_ had proven to be false and he was going to pay.

As his men approached the camp, they all stopped with eyes wide and full of shock. Savage and the three guards ordered to watch Hiccup were now lying on the ground either whimpering in pain or unconscious. Hiccup in question was nowhere to be seen, the ropes lying useless at the tree.

Savage screamed and kicked a bucket into the air as he trotted over to Savage's body. He then proceeded to kick Savage in the gut, effectively waking the man up.

"Where's Hiccup?!" he shouted with gritted teeth.

"A Terrible Terror… it came and attacked us!" Savage replied as if he just witnessed a mass murder.

"You let him get away because of a _Terrible Terror_?!" Dagur's rage was bursting at the seams.

"Well, now that you put it that way, it does sound a bit pathetic." Savage stated, looking sheepish at his leader.

Dagur practically roared and pushed the man to the ground, stepping over him and making Savage grunt. Dagur brought out his crossbow and stared into forest.

"He couldn't have gotten far," he whispered to himself. "He'll be heading for the Night Fury! Whoever finds him doesn't die!" Dagur screamed in announcement, hissing out the last bit of information. The men all looked at each other with fear and ran forward.

* * *

Hiccup gasped from the pain in his hip, grabbing a tree and using it for a momentary crutch. He took a few breaths and staggered onward, Sharpshot scurrying by his feet. The little dragon perked his head up as he heard distant voices that Hiccup could not hear. He jumped onto Hiccup back and climbed onto his left shoulder, causing the poor boy to lose his balance and stumble a little.

He grunted, "Sharpshot—" he was interrupted as the little green dragon roared to his right, pointing in that direction. Hiccup turned his head and was taken back.

There were a whole bunch of Beatzolt plants rooted by a small pond, some huge, some small. Hiccup sighed in relief and scratched the little Terror's head.

"Good job little fella." He said with a smile. The dragon hopped off of Hiccup's shoulder and turned around, hearing the far off voices again. Hiccup limped over to the plants and picked two big ones, holding them tightly in this left hand.

"Come on, let's get back to Toothless." Hiccup waved the Terrible Terror to follow as they continued onward.

* * *

Toothless groaned weakly as his eyes fought to stay open. He had been alone for far too long and it scared him. The searing pain in his ribs strengthened for a few seconds before dying back down, the Night Fury barely able to moan his agony.

His ears twitched as he heard something walking close by, stumbling actually. He forced himself to open his eyes fearing the worse until Hiccup dropped into focus. His body had fallen onto the ground before he painfully picked himself up again. Toothless' eyes grew a little wider at the sight of him, cuts all over his stomach and legs and he looked like he broke his left leg for he couldn't walk on it. Toothless wanted to roar in anger, but he was in too much pain to make a sound other than a groan. What happened to his little Hiccup?

Hiccup fell down beside Toothless' head, his hand laying on the Night Fury's cheek as he rested his small head on his own.

"I'm here bud, I've got some medicine for you." Hiccup whispered. He tore off some leaves of the fern-like plant and brought it to Toothless' mouth. The Night Fury moaned and moved his head away.

"Toothless come on, eat it; it'll help." Hiccup reassured him. Toothless looked at Hiccup, then glanced down at his cuts and back up at his face. Hiccup took the other plant in his hand and showed it to Toothless.

"Look see, I have one for me too, now eat yours; please." He begged, bringing the leaves back over to his mouth. This time, Toothless took it. Hiccup tore some leaves off of the other Beatzolt and shoved it in his mouth, expecting it to taste horrible. It had a mint flavor to it, but was overall tolerable. He leaned his head down on Toothless and closed his eyes, his body lying on its side as he fell asleep within a matter of minutes.

Sharpshot came around to Toothless' face, nudging the Night Fury and cooing sadly. He scampered over to Hiccup's stomach and curled into a ball in between him and Toothless. He didn't fall asleep, but he did rest, still hearing those voices off in the distance. Toothless heard them too and blinked down at Hiccup's unconscious form.

He hoped they didn't find them for there would be nothing he could do.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**If anyone is wondering about the whole salt thing with the wounds, it is true. Salt will hurt like crazy if you put it on an open, bleeding wound, but the sodium dries out any liquids and allows the blood to clot faster. In doing so, it also helps the wound from getting an infection. I meant to tell you guys that in the last author's note, but forgot.**

**Now if you guys don't mind, my butt hurts and I'm going to go stretch and get something to eat. Hope you are all enjoying the story and I'll be updating again tomorrow. Don't worry about A Banished Beast—for those of you who are wondering if it's still being continued—I'm still working on it.**

**Thank you all and apologies for any grammar mistakes I missed while checking it.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk**

**Night Fury Down**

**Chapter 9**

* * *

Stormfly flapped her wings a few more times before keeping them held out as she soared through the air, folding them back to dive down to the small island ahead of them. There waiting for her and her rider were Snotlout and the twins—who just landed on the island.

Stormfly squawked and planted her two large feet on the ground, taking a few steps forward. Her rider, Astrid, stared at the three other Vikings with warnings.

"No one followed you guys this time, right?" she asked with a tone that meant business.

"No, of course not." Tuffnut replied.

"Oh yeah, then what's that?" Snotlout asked, pointing up in the sky at two dots coming towards them. Astrid, Ruff and Tuff glanced in the direction Snotlout was pointing.

"Oh…" Tuffnut stated feeling defeated.

"Hey wait, those are dragons." Ruffnut informed. Astrid squinted her eyes to see better before they widened in shock.

"Not just any ordinary dragons, that's Fishlegs and… Stoick?" she and the other three looked at each other with worry.

"Oh man. We're in trouble." Ruff said, slumping down in her saddle.

"Pft, I think I'd rather take my chances with the Berserkers." Tuffnut mumbled to himself, watching as Stoick and Fishlegs flew over and landed next to them.

"There you guys are; we've been looking forever to find you." Fishlegs said as Meatlug landed.

"You would have found us sooner if _some people_ weren't followed." Astrid sneered at the twins.

"None of that matters right now; we need to get to Dragon Island and help my son." Stoick informed, waving his hand to stop the conversation.

"Is Hiccup okay?" Astrid asked, her brows furrowing as concern grew. They didn't know what became of their friend and leader.

"Last I checked, yeah he was fine, but Toothless was injured. Really badly…" Fishlegs answered. "But that was hours ago and there were a tone of Berserker and Outcast ships at the beaches.

"Do you think they got… captured?" She asked, hoping not to get a definite answer.

"It's a high possibility, and we can't waste any time here talking about it." Stoick stated firmly. "We have to catch up with the ships, once we do, we can use the sea and sky to fight back Dagur's fleet."

And with that, Stoick flew off with Thornado, Fishlegs flying right behind him along with the rest of the teens. Their concern for Toothless and Hiccup rose with each minute passing; Toothless was shot down, he and Hiccup stranded on Dragon Island with a swarm of Berserkers and Outcasts with a leader that wants nothing more than to kill Toothless and do who knows to Hiccup.

Things didn't seem like they were going to end well.

* * *

Hiccup's body lay still and weak against Toothless. The dragon had gotten better after eating the plant, the area where the arrow pierced his skin was all numb. Moving too much would bring the pain back, but the plant was working. Toothless lifted his head up; making sure that Hiccups' didn't fall too hard on the ground.

The boy was awake, and at the same time not. He was alert to what was going on around him, but his body felt paralyzed. His stomach and legs were all numb; his arms were tingly and hip still ached like crazy. He now lay on the ground limp as Toothless and now Sharpshot moved about.

Sharpshot woke up as soon as Toothless stirred, the little dragon stretching and yawning before crawling over on the other side of Hiccup. He tilted his head and glanced down at the Viking before lifting his head up and looking in the woods.

Toothless cooed and nudged Hiccup, getting a small moan in response. His head whipped up as he heard voices, louder than before and getting closer. Sharpshot jumped up and arched his back, growling as well at the sound. The enemy was coming, though they still didn't know exactly where they were hiding, they were inching a little _too_ close for comfort.

Toothless looked back down at Hiccup, cooing as he gently bumped him again. Hiccup moved his head to the side then blinked open his eyes. His body may have been numb, but it wasn't like he was _actually_ paralyzed. It did, however, feel very weird to move his sleeping legs. He curled them in and sat up, getting some help from Toothless.

His eyes squinted and a hand came to his head. His attention was taken by Sharpshot who was still growling at the voices, the voices Hiccup could now hear. The young Viking shot up, wobbling a bit and hissing from his left hip; he stared in the distance before turning around to face Toothless.

"We can't stay here bud." He said with a hushed voice. Toothless looked into the forest before working his limbs to lift him up, struggling a bit as the pain in his chest kept stabbing at him all of the sudden. Within the blink of an eye, Hiccup was at his side, his arms around Toothless back and underside.

"Take is easy bud, you're still hurt." He said, his eyes getting glossy as he watched his best friend struggle with just standing. He stepped back a bit once Toothless was up on his feet, the dragon jerking his head forward to signify that they needed to go.

"You sure you can walk?" Hiccup asked, wanting what was best for his friend; if Toothless couldn't walk then Hiccup would try something else to get Dagur off their trail. Toothless replied with nudge to Hiccup's stomach, forgotten error on Toothless' part as the skin was still stinging from the numerous knife marks.

The boy hissed from the rub and brought both his hands to his midsection. Toothless bowed his head and flatten his ears as he realized his mistake.

"It's okay, bud; it's just a little bit of a sting, no big deal." It was a big deal, but Hiccup didn't want to see his friend get depressed because of one little error. He patted Toothless and took a step forward, limping still from his hip. Toothless followed, Hiccup's hand never leaving its place on his forehead.

Sharpshot looked at the two and hopped after them, settling down to a trot beside Hiccup's foot and prosthetic. They all kept low and quiet, not wanting to have Dagur and his men find them.

Hiccup figured they should continue inland, crossing the entire length of the island to the other beach. It shouldn't take longer than a night, but with their condition, it might. If they were going to rest, which they would soon enough, they'd need to find a place with some water. Now since Dragon Island sunk a bit thanks to the Screaming Death, there were more water sources then before. But this posed a risk to them as Dagur would be smart enough to set posts near these pools knowing Hiccup and Toothless would be looking for such a source. His men were all over the island, probably setting up more traps, scoping out areas; if they were going to survive and remain free, they'd have to take precaution to a whole new level.

This was going to be one heck of an experience.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I'm really sorry this took so long to get published guys; I've gotten busy trying to get things done for my classes before they end this Friday. I do thank you all for waiting, I couldn't ask for a better audience!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk**

**Night Fury Down**

**Chapter 10**

* * *

Hiccup, Toothless and their little messenger Terror walked through the forest at an even pace. Hiccup kept his left hand on Toothless' saddle handle, his left hip having some trouble keeping up with the smooth movement of his right. Toothless was worse than he thought, the poor Night Fury limping as he tried to move as smooth as possible to not jolt the arrow still lodge in his side of his chest. He sometimes wondered why Hiccup hadn't taken it out yet, but then came to the conclusion that if he had, then he would have bled to death. The arrow was keeping Toothless alive, even though it was hurting him at the same time.

Hiccup's hand pulled backwards on the saddle and Toothless stopped, turning his head to his rider to see if something was wrong.

"Wait bud, traps." Hiccup said, pointing ahead of them. Connected to several trees were some nets laid on the ground, the same kind Tuffnut so astutely trapped himself in. Hiccup narrowed his eyes and looked to his right, seeing a couple better hidden.

"These must be some of the traps Dagur had for the dragons, or they're new and set for us." Hiccup stated, taking a couple steps forward; Sharpshot hopping up onto his shoulder and squawking. "Either way, we have to avoid them."

Their heads jerked up at the sky as a sound rocketed softly across. The fiery arrow curved at the peak of its height and fell back down past the tree tops where Hiccup couldn't see it anymore.

"Dagur…" Hiccup whispered. "They're getting closer. We need to pick up the pace." He said, before turning to his left and leading Toothless the same way.

The pain in the side of Toothless' chest was becoming unbearable even at the slow speed they were already going. Just with one step, Toothless began whining and Hiccup stopped to look back with concern.

"Toothless—"he said with sorrow, cupping the dragon's head in his small hands before hugging him. "I'm sorry you have to go through this bud, but we can't rest right now." Toothless' eyes widened greatly before he cooed and whined at Hiccup. He took a step forward before cringing and falling over onto his.

"Toothless!" Hiccup exclaimed, kneeling down beside his dearest friend and lightly touching his black scaled skin. Sharpshot hopped off of Hiccup's shoulders just as the boy knelt down, the Terrible Terror landing beside the young Viking and cooing at Toothless. The little green dragon nudged Toothless head before purring and rubbing himself against Toothless' skin, the vibration soothing the pain a little.

Hiccup closed his eyes and took a deep breath, willing the tears to go away. He glanced up at the sky before whispering something Toothless couldn't pick up. The dragon's vision was becoming blurry and everything was going dark. He could hear his own heartbeat and his breathes were getting harder and uneven again.

"Fishlegs, where ever you are, please hurry." Hiccup begged to no one in particular, his hands curled up to his chest. "I need help." He croaked out, the last thing Toothless heard before passing out.

* * *

The dragons flew high in the sky, the Berkian ships sailing behind them on the ocean's surface.

"Where did you say Hiccup was at last Fishlegs?" Stoick asked, his face expression serious.

"Dragon Island, not too far inland." Fishlegs replied. Astrid and Stormfly flew up beside them.

"Dagur and his men would have pushed them back by now. They could be anywhere." She added.

"Or they could have been capture. You didn't see Toothless' condition." Fishlegs also added.

"Even if they did get captured, what would Dagur do to them?" Tuffnut asked this time. No body answered him, but he did receive similar looks of terror.

"We'll worry about that if we need to, right now, we head to Dragon Island." Stoick stated.

"Sir?"

"Yes, Fishlegs?" Fishlegs pointed ahead of them and Stoick followed its direction. Far out on the horizon was a large blockade of Berserk and Outcast ships, just behind them, Dragon Island.

"We're nearly there." Stoick stated before whispering, "Hang on Hiccup."

* * *

Two eyes peered through the forest, moving back and forth as they scanned for any trace of evidence of their owner's prey. Dagur held onto his crossbow firmly, his men following his example and moving about quietly.

A thousand thoughts rattled Dagur's brain. His plans of what he do to Hiccup when he found him, the torture methods he conduct, the thrill of killing that Night Fury and making that lying, no good, waste of a Viking boy watch. Maybe he'd even kill Hiccup, he was always killing dragons, and he only killed another Viking once before. Such a relief, perhaps Hiccup would be even better?

A twig cracking caught everybody's attention and Dagur raised his crossbow. He and his men stopped for a couple seconds before Dagur waved his hand forward and they soundlessly followed.

The young Berserker chief peered around the area, looking and listening for any signs of Hiccup or his Night Fury. His eyes darted to an area off to his left as he heard more movement behind a bush. He smiled and tip-toed over, crouching in front of the bush while attempting to sneak a peek overhead. He couldn't see anything, but he heard movement, so he trusted his instincts and jumped out.

The sudden presence of the man spooked the Terrible Terrors wrestling and they flew off into the sky. Dagur scowled at them before glanced down at the ground. His glare switched to a curious frown as he knelt down to inspect what he saw.

His men came over, Savage speaking up.

"Sir, we're never going to find them on this island, there are hundreds of dragons here." He stated, hoping Dagur didn't take offense to it.

Dagur chuckled and shook his head, "Oh Savage, you need to keep your eyes open… and follow the trail." Dagur said with a crooked smile as he pointed at the blood trail on the ground in front of them.

* * *

**To be continued…**

**Author's Note:**

**Again, I'm really sorry for such a delay on the updates guys, writer's block sucks eggs. On the bright side, my college English teacher loves me and my papers thanks to my skills as a writer here on Fanfiction!**

**Literature is Power!**

**Thank you guys again so much for waiting and sticking with me! I can't express the gratitude I have for you all.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk**

**Night Fury Down**

**Chapter 11**

* * *

He heard a voice, very small and soft. Upon opening his eyes, the dragon saw an abstract image of the forest surrounding them, blurred and distorted, everything seeming brighter than usual. He moaned and moved his paw a bit trying to get feeling back into his body. Then he heard his name along with another set of words, but he couldn't make it out. He blinked his eyes and looked over, seeing Hiccup kneeling down next to him.

"Toothless, get up!" Hiccup half shouted to him, but the noise sounded muffled to Toothless. He lifted up his head and shook it, feeling lightheaded for a moment before things started to clear up. Unfortunately, the pain came back in his side and his breathes hitched from it.

"Come on, bud, we have to go! They're here!" Hiccup exclaimed again, his hands feebly trying to get the dragon to stand up and move off towards the left. Toothless moaned when he stood, and growled a bit from the pushes. His mind was still a bit too cloudy to full comprehend what was so important about them leaving right now. That is, until he heard the screams…

Toothless' mind didn't wake up until he heard the shouts of the Berserkers, practically a few feet from them if he'd known any better. It took him by surprise when he saw Hiccup get tackled to the ground right beside him. It shocked him as well to find a huge net coming down on top of him soon after. He roared and fell down, not really struggling since he could barely stand in the first place thanks to the arrow in his side. Toothless looked over at Hiccup with worry and anger, watching as the boy struggled within the Berserker's grasps. The Berserker raised a hand to punch Hiccup—and from the trajectory, he was aiming for his head—before he faltered thanks to Sharpshot who jumped onto the guy's head with a screech.

Unfortunately, the little Terrible Terror was roughly torn off of the Berserker by an outcast and stuffed into a cage. With the distraction, Hiccup was able to get back up and tear the net off of him. The boy was just about to hop onto the saddle when a bola wrapped itself around his small frame and he fell back down to the ground. Then he heard that laugh…

And that's when Toothless got mad.

The Night Fury's eyes formed slits and his mouth began to emit a bluish glow with a whistling echo. He fired his plasma blast over at the nearest Viking and then another towards the sound of the laughter. He turned towards the Berserkers beside Sharpshot's cage and fired again, effectively blowing up the cage door and allowing the little green dragon to fly off. Toothless roared and fired another shot straight up into the air, the plasma blast rocketing high up before dispersing into a circular mist of light.

* * *

Stoick looked coldly at the army of ships down below them. He and the other riders, along with their ships, were more than ready to show the berserk outcasts who were boss.

The enemy ships took sight of them and armed their catapults, shouting orders at one another as the ship prepared for an attack.

Suddenly, a light exploded up in the sky to their right. Astrid turned her head and instantly knew who it belonged to. Her eyes widened and she quickly called out to her chief.

He too saw it and understood, though didn't like the look of the situation.

"That's Toothless!" Fishlegs exclaimed.

"Fishlegs, Astrid, find Hiccup and Toothless; quickly now!" he ordered, the two teens nodding and steering their dragons away from the sea and towards the island.

Stormfly flew in front of Meatlug, the former being faster than the later. They soared over the tree tops looking down within the leaves and shadows searching for any signs of Toothless and Hiccup.

* * *

Hiccup struggled to get free from the tight ropes curling around his limps and pinning them against his body. He looked over at Toothless, opening his mouth to shout his name before large hands covered it and dragged him away. The Berserker took him back beside the others, including Savage and Dagur.

"Take that Night Fury down!" the young chief commanded.

Toothless backed up a bit, his head whipping back and forth as Berserkers and Outcasts surrounded him. He roared and glanced over to where Hiccup used to be, now seeing him captured over by Dagur. He narrowed his eyes at the Berserker just as the people around him charged. He spread his wings and knocked some down, flicking his tail to hit a couple others and using his head to throw another into the air and fall onto the ground hard. Toothless turned back towards Dagur and roared angrily.

Dagur aimed his crossbow right at Toothless forehead. "Say good night, Night Fury." He whispered with a crooked smile. The arrow shot out from the crossbow and traveled through the air towards Toothless. But just as it got a little further from half way between its owner and its target, a huge fireball fried it into nothing. The ball burst into flames, separating Dagur and his men from Toothless. The dragon looked up to see Stormfly fly overhead and swoop down along with Meatlug, the one responsible for saving him.

"No!" Dagur screamed in irritation with all of times of being so close.

Stormfly flew down and landed right in front of Dagur, knocking him over as she squawked.

"Hiccup!" she shouted as Stormfly twisted around and shot our spines. They landed around Hiccup, the Berserkers and Outcasts near him scattering and running away to avoid getting impaled.

Dagur twisted around and flipped up onto his feet, tossing a knife at Astrid's head. She dodged just in time, Stormfly roaring and flicking her tail and trip the Berserker. Astrid used this time to jump off of her dragon and run over to Hiccup.

"Fishlegs, cover fire!" she hollered, the husky boy still hovering in the air on top of Meatlug nodding.

Astrid knelt down beside Hiccup and cut him free, helping him stand up before bringing him into a death hug.

"Are you alright? Dagur didn't hurt you did he?" she questioned, looking into his eyes. Hiccup seemed tired and exhausted, but otherwise okay… at least, that's what it seemed like.

"I'm fine, we have to help Toothless!" he exclaimed and ran back with Astrid on to Stormfly's saddle.

Sharpshot was hovering just above Toothless as Toothless himself looked around trying to see what was going on over the fire. Just as he looked up, Stormfly flew overhead and began hovering next to Sharpshot. The little dragon squawked happily to see his Viking free and out of harm's way.

"Can Toothless fly?" Astrid asked. Hiccup shook his head before replying.

"No, the arrow is still lodged into his side; it's too painful for him to even walk long distances." Hiccup informed sadly.

"We're gonna have to get him to the shore somehow." Fishlegs stated, flying towards them and hovering as well.

"Which direction is the shore?" Hiccup asked Fishlegs.

"That way, why?" Fishlegs replied. Hiccup stood up and jumped down off of Stormfly, landing on top of Toothless' saddle and tripping a bit thanks to his injuries. Toothless looked back at him with a soft and sorrowful face.

"Cover us; I'll get him to the shore." Hiccup said firmly.

"On it!" Astrid exclaimed and both she and Fishlegs began to distract the Berserkers and Outcasts.

"Come on bud, we have to get to the shore and then this will all be over." Hiccup reassured his friend. Toothless looked at him with tired eyes, but understood and trotted off as fast as he could despite the pain. Sharpshot fly after them and landed on Hiccup's shoulder, turning around and growling behind them. His movements went unnoticed as they continued off into the woods.

* * *

**To be continued…**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk**

**Night Fury Down**

**Chapter 12**

* * *

Toothless ran through the forest with Hiccup on his back and Sharpshot on said boy's shoulders. The trees were beginning to disperse as they got closer to the beach, the ground transforming from its smooth dirt to a rocky surface. The boulders in particular were becoming an obstacle for them, Toothless unable to do anything else but trot and, if necessary, gallop.

The three came upon a clearing with a small cliff ending their path. At the bottom of the cliff were a few shrubs, some boulders, and loose dirt that gradually changed into sand the further you walked. Just beyond it was a creek that ran its waters down into the ocean.

Toothless slowed to a stop and collapsed onto the ground, his breaths uneven and hollow. Hiccup gasped and jumped off of the saddle, moving over in front of Toothless and picking up his head with great effort.

"Toothless? Bud?" he asked with unimaginable concern. The Night Fury looked into his eyes with exhausted ones.

"Toothless?!" Hiccup exclaimed again. Sharpshot shrunk back a bit on his shoulders, looking down at Toothless with sincere sorrow.

Hiccup moved to his side where the arrow was still lodge into Toothless side and bit his lip, hesitant to take it out or keep it in. His hand hovered over the area before retracting back, the final decision made clear. He took a deep breath and quickly grabbed the arrow bit with both hands before seconds later pulling it out of the swollen skin.

Toothless roared from the action before turning towards Hiccup and hissing. Said Viking was staring down at the arrow head, examining it for quite a while before announcing what he found.

Amongst the blood on the small piece of metal, there was a purple-ish stain at the tip.

"Is that—" Hiccup began before his body tensed at the sound of another's voice.

"Posion?" Hiccup turned around to look at him; "Yes, Hiccup it very well is." Dagur answered.

The man chuckled as he walked forward a few steps, "It would seem I'm always one step ahead of you." Hiccup stood in front of Toothless, Sharpshot growling from his perch on Hiccup's shoulder.

"Give it up, Hiccup. I won, your friends are no match for armada and you don't stand a chance against _me_." He announced with a malicious grin. Hiccup narrowed his eyes and glared at Dagur.

"So, I'll make you a deal: surrender to me and give up your Night Fury and I won't destroy Berk."

Hiccup looked over at Toothless, the dragon staring daggers at Dagur before looking up with wide eyes at his rider and best friend. Hiccup turned his attention to Dagur again and spoke.

"New deal."

"Huh?" Dagur was taken back a bit, but otherwise intrigued.

"Leave Toothless and Berk alone, and you can have me."

"I want the Night Fury." Dagur hissed in a low voice as his body tensed with anger.

"Well you can't have Toothless."

Dagur growled, "His skull is going to be mine and you're gonna pay for your treachery!" Dagur screamed before rushing at Hiccup with his weapon high in the air. Hiccup gasped and quickly ducked, missing the blade of Dagur's ax by a hair's length. As soon as he was on the ground, Sharpshot dashed out and attached himself to Dagur's face. The deranged Viking chief screamed from the pain as he tried to pry the small dragon off.

"Get off my face!" he yelled, dropping his ax from the struggle and moving erratically. Hiccup noticed the weapon and moved to grab it before something else caught his eye. Attached to Dagur's belt was a vile of a light purple substance, Hiccup's best guess was that it was the medicine Toothless needed.

His eyes darted between the ax on the ground and the vile on Dagur's belt, and then he made his choice. He quickly bolted up and ran over to Dagur, using Sharpshot's distraction to obtain the vile. He reached out to grab it, when Dagur turned around, tore off Sharpshot and tossed him away. Hiccup was next in his sights, but Dagur didn't get to do anything as Hiccup kicked his prosthetic foot out and slammed it into his shin. The Berserker yelled and limped away some allowing Hiccup was quickly take possession of the vile while he was distracted again.

As Hiccup turned and lifted himself up, Dagur regained his composure and grabbed his ax. He threw it with all his strength towards the ground at Hiccup's feet, the force tearing into the wood of his prosthetic and cutting it in two.

Hiccup tripped and fell down on his stomach, the vile rolling off his hand and landing near Toothless. Toothless looked down at the vile and sniffed the air around him.

The young Viking twisted himself around to see what happened and was taken back when he saw his prosthetic broken beyond repair. Dagur chuckled and advanced, tearing his ax off of the broken prosthetic and using one foot to hold Hiccup down.

"This is your last chance. Surrender or _else_." Dagur announced, grinning down at Hiccup below his foot. The boy groaned as he tried to relieve the pressure crushing his abdomen.

Dagur narrowed his eyes, "Very well then," he said before growing a huge smile and lifting the ax high above his head. The blade shimmered in the sunlight, its fine curve and sharp edge outlined from the light.

Just as Dagur was about to swing it down, something bite his leg and he screamed. Looking down, Sharpshot had his teeth around his left ankle. The young man growled and shook his leg, knocking the Terrible Terror off. Sharpshot caught himself and flapped his wings to halt his descent; hovering above Hiccup, he shot a fireball at Dagur, the man staggering back from the heat.

Dagur shook his head free of any dizziness and glared at Hiccup, but before he got to do anything, his ears picked up on a sound too familiar to him.

"Oh no," he said before a purple plasma blast fired towards him and exploded on impact. The blast knocked him back into a boulder and Dagur cried out from the impact.

Hiccup staggered back to Toothless, the Night Fury standing on shaking with eyes staring down Dagur. Said Berserker moved his weak arms, placing them below his body and lifting up, but they buckled and he fell back down onto his stomach. His sight blackened and he closed his eyes.

Hiccup took a quick look to see if Dagur would get up again, but stillness came from Dagur and Hiccup concluded he was unconscious. He placed a hand on Toothless, feeling around for the saddle reign before grasping it and pulling himself up. Sharpshot landed down beside Toothless, following the bigger dragon's eyes and looking at Dagur.

"Come on Toothless, let's get to the beach." Hiccup said, pulling on the saddle for Toothless to move. The dragon huffed but turned around and started walking down towards the beach. Sharpshot glanced down at the ground far in front of Dagur and tilted his head. He flew over, picked up the broken piece of the prosthetic in his mouth and flew off to catch up with Hiccup and Toothless.

* * *

**Writer's Note:**

**The next chapter is the last so I don't know how long it's going to be, hopefully at least 1000 words. Once I'm done with this story, I can finish Double Trouble and then come up with another for you all to read. I have a lot of fun writing these stories, you know, whenever I don't have writer's block or too much stress and homework. I believe the next story I come up with will be my 20****th****. Hurray! Sorry for any typos.**

**Thank you all for reviewing, reading, favoriting, following and just checking out my stories! Kudos to you all!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk**

**Night Fury Down**

**Chapter 13, epilogue  
**

* * *

Toothless stopped at the water's edge on the beach and lay down. Hiccup hopped off of the saddle and raised his hand to his forehead to view out at the sea. Overhead, Astrid and Fishlegs flew out from the inland; Astrid and Stormfly flying down to Hiccup and Toothless and Fishlegs and Meatlug flying out to inform the others.

Stormfly squawked as she descended, landing beside Hiccup as the boy looked up at them.

"Hiccup, I'm glad you made it." Astrid breathed with a sigh of relief. "We couldn't find Dagur back with the others, did you…?"

"Don't worry about him." Hiccup replied, ending the subject and wrapping his arms across his chest. Astrid looked down at him in understanding; her gaze was redirected when she heard a shout from the sea. A ship was sailing towards them, soon enough landing on the beach. A couple of Vikings jumped off before Gobber followed.

"Hiccup, you okay there lad?" he said as he hobbled on over. But as he got closer, looking at Hiccup and Toothless, his questioned didn't need answered. However, many more questions formed, but he knew that none of them would be answered unless Hiccup and Toothless were home and away from danger. He waved his hand to Hiccup to follow,

"Come on, let's get you two on board and back to Berk." Hiccup nodded in agreement and followed Gobber, allowing the other Vikings to help Toothless onboard the boat.

* * *

Fishlegs and Meatlug flew towards the fighting dragons that were constantly attack the Berserker and Outcast ships; a battle that they all knew wasn't theirs for the win. Even though the odds were greatly against them, they managed to take out numerous vessels, but the numbers were not enough to generate a cheer of victory. Despite the gloomy outlook, Stoick and his people weren't here to win the battle, they were here to distract the Berserkers and get his son and dragon home safely. So when the good news finally came to him, he was more than pleased.

"Chief!" Fishlegs shouted as he and Meatlug came within ear shot of Thornado and Stoick. Stoick himself turned his head to the young lad with a stern expression.

"Chief, we got Hiccup and Toothless! They're on a boat heading back to Berk!" Fishlegs informed. Stoick's body physically relaxed and he glanced down near the shores of Dragon Island. Just as Fishlegs had said, one of his ships, Gobber's in fact, was sailing away from the beach. You could visibly see Toothless' dark figure lying on the deck, Hiccup probably at his side.

Stoick turned to the other riders and shouted an order.

"Everybody retreat, we're going home!"

He and the other riders flew away from their adversaries and retreated with the rest of the fleet.

* * *

As soon as they were all out of reach of the Berserkers, Stoick led Thornado down towards Gobber's ship, hovering overhead before jumping off and landing with a thud on the deck. Thornado returned to the skies with the other dragons.

Stoick steadily walked over to his son who was lying against Toothless, his eyes closed and fast asleep. But the numerous marks and cuts on his body didn't go unnoticed, not to Stoick or anybody. They knew who would do such a thing, if not Alvin then Dagur; the man taking the term _deranged_ to a whole new level. He gazed down at Hiccup with glossy despair before shaking free and kneeling down beside him. He placed a hand on his son's shoulder and shook gently, the motion effectively waking the young boy. He moaned as his eyes fluttered open and his mind reeled away from its slumber.

"Hey dad," his soft voice whispered and Stoick replied with a heartfelt hug. Hiccup wrapped his thin arms as far as they could reach around his father's back and smiled warmly. The two pulled away and Hiccup leaned back against Toothless again, his eyes getting heavy again.

"Go back to sleep," Stoick kindly ordered, and Hiccup did little to disobey. His body relaxed against the black scaly hide of his best friend and soon enough he was out again.

It only felt like a few minutes for Hiccup before he opened his eyes again; the black dreamless state he was in obscuring time. As soon as he woke, he heard people talking. He breathed in and yawned, sitting up in his bed and clutching his stomach from the uncomfortable nausea that suddenly struck.

"You're awake," He couldn't miss the sound of Astrid's voice. "How are you feeling?"

"Nauseous." Hiccup replied, glancing around the room and taking note of all who were there.

"Yea, that would be the medicine;" Fishlegs replied, "Gothi said it would have a few side effects."

"How's Toothless?" Hiccup asked, his eyes moving over to his friend who was lying down on his rock bed directly in front of him.

"He's fine. You know he's part of your family because he is as stubborn as ever." Gobber commented, raising his hook hand and pointing to the dragon next to him.

"But if it weren't for that, you two probably would have been in worse conditions." Stoick concluded, walking over to Hiccup and ruffling his hair. "We're all glad you're okay."

"You had some pretty bad scars on ya, what happened?" Tuffnut intruded as he leaned a bit closer to Hiccup.

"Tuffnut!" Astrid complained, glaring at the Viking twin and putting her hands on her shoulders.

"What? I want to know; you know I like these kind of things." He defended.

"Ruffnut would you?" Astrid asked.

Ruffnut smiled and retracted her balled up hand behind her head before launching it at Tuffnut's shoulder. The other twin jerked forward a little from the action.

"Thank you."

"Blah, blah, blah, glad you're okay, so where's Dagur; you pummeled him and tied 'em up right?" Snotlout intervened. Hiccup gave him a sideways glance.

"What? Just asking."

"Hiccup, what happened to Dagur?" Stoick asked in a more responsible manner.

"Toothless knocked him out and we escaped to the beach. He was unconscious last time I saw him, but..."

"…That's likely to have changed." Stoick finished his son's statement. "Dagur is still at large, we'll have to be more careful when dealing with him and his Berserkers." He stated to the group in the room. "But for now, you need to get some rest. I'll bring up some soup for you to drink." Stoick said to Hiccup. He motioned for the teens to leave and they filed out of the room and down the stairs. One by one, they walked out of the door, Astrid being the last. But she stopped as soon as she reached the doorway and glanced behind her. Stoick had turned his back to get the soup from the other room, allowing Astrid to sneak back upstairs.

Hiccup looked up at her presence in curiosity before opening his arms as she jumped into his embrace and hugged him hard.

"I'm glad you're okay." She said, pulling away and letting the poor boy breath again. "If you need to talk about anything, you know I'm here."

"I know, thank you." Hiccup replied, smiling warmly at her. Suddenly, she slammed her fist down hard on his right knee and Hiccup jolted from the pain.

"Ow, that's new?!" he complained, still wondering why all of her affection has to deal with pain. Then she leaned in and kissed him on the lips, making the passionate feeling last long. As they parted they smiled and Astrid swiped her bangs out of her face. She turned and left, softly walking down the steps and out the door before Stoick noticed a thing.

Hiccup continued to stare absentmindedly at the empty stairway before his consciousness got knocked back into reality by Toothless. The dragon moaned and rolled its eyes, plopping its head down on his forepaws.

"Aw what's wrong, the poor dragon jealous because I'm getting all of the attention?" Hiccup teased with a fake pouting face before smiling and laughing. Toothless groaned again and turned away. Hiccup got up from his bed and went over to sit beside him.

"Haha, I'm kidding Toothless." Hiccup cupped the Night Fury's chin and lifted it up for him to look. "You know I would be nothing without you." He said in a more sincere tone. "I'm glad you're alright bud, you had the brunt of all that's happened." Toothless cooed and rubbed his large head against Hiccup's small chest. "but that's not gonna stop you is it?" In response, Toothless opened his mouth and dragged his pink, saliva filled tongue across Hiccup's form.

Hiccup grunted in disgust, "Toothless!" Toothless lifted his head up and let out a serious of gurgles, laughing at his riders priceless expression.

* * *

**The End**

**Writer's Note:**

**Oh my peanuts! This took way longer than what was needed. Sorry about that guys, college work, needed to focus on it. 3D animation and video isn't an easy field, but I love it and couldn't imagine myself doing anything else. Now, I don't know what other story I'm going to be writing after Double Trouble so if something comes up while I'm working on that story, I'll inform you in my profile.**

**A couple things I wanted to share. I can't believe Stoick had to let Thornado go! I'm gonna miss that Thunderdrum! Another, I really can't wait for the season finales! Alvin TRAINS THE SCREAMING DEATH! Spoilers!**


End file.
